'I get to live at Disney World'

Friday

Christina Bonivtch might just be one of the biggest Disney fans in America. Since her first trip to Disney World at 5 months old, she has visited the park multiple times each year.

Christina Bonivtch might just be one of the biggest Disney fans in America. Since her first trip to Disney World at 5 months old, she has visited the park multiple times each year.

“Disney World opened in 1971, and my parents started going in 1973, so it’s just been a family thing,” she said.

Ever since then, she has become a huge fan of all things Disney.

“Disney is my life,” she said, “My car has a Disney antenna; my house is like a Disney museum.”

Bonivtch, a Shelby High and recent Cleveland Community College graduate, also worked at the Disney store in Concord.

“That was amazing, just being able to work at the store there. It’s like going to work just feels like going to have fun every day.”

Bonivtch, who spent many years participating as The Star's mascot for county Christmas parades, has a tradition of going Disney for Halloween.

“This past Halloween, I was Snow White. And the year before that, I was Tigger,” she said.

Last year, Bonivtch was selected to intern at Disney World for the spring semester. Bonivtch, a UNC-Charlotte student, will intern at Disney until May.

“I’m a character attendant, which means, say I’ll have Mickey Mouse as my character, and I’ll bring him out to meet the guests,” she said, “I’m basically their bodyguard, to make sure everything goes right.”

Bonivtch said she is with different characters all the time.

“Next week, I’ll be with Monsters, Inc. for a couple of days. And it changes every week," she said.

Hollywood Studios is the park she works in, but she said she can pick up shifts in any of the parks.

'Our dreams came true'

Bonivtch learned about Disney internships a few years ago, when she was visiting the park with her family. She researched the program, called the Disney College Program, and applied for an internship for this semester.

“I finished my minor, so I thought it would be a great gap to take a semester off,” she said.

The paid internship allows students to live in Disney housing, apartments specifically for the college program. There is also bus transportation for interns.

But the phone interviews went well and one day while at college, Bonivtch received an e-mail.

“I got the email that said ‘Congratulations Christina!’ and I just screamed at the top of my lungs. I couldn’t speak afterwards. It was so amazing,” she said.

And when Bonivtch told her cousin, another long-time Disney fan, about the internship, she found out that her cousin had applied to the program as well. The two were able to room together at Disney.

“We didn’t know each other was applying till we both got in,” said Bonivtch. “Our dreams came true to live at Disney together.”

In February, the two plan to run a marathon race around Disney World.

“We’re dressing up as princesses. I’m dressing up as Jasmine and she’s dressing up as Cinderella,” she said.

Bonivtch said reality hasn’t hit her yet.

“It hasn’t sunk in fully that I get to live at Disney World and meet all the characters,” she said, “It’s awesome to work here. It’s a dream come true for me definitely.”

Only a select few get the opportunity to be a character attendant.

“They pick the roles based on what they feel you would be best at,” said Bonivtch.

On her first day as a character attendant, she was able to work with Eeyore, her favorite Disney character.

“I’ll never forget opening the door and feeling nervous and excited, holding Eeyore’s paw and bringing him out to meet everybody,” she said. “It’s overwhelming but in a great way.”

Bonivtch said that when she opens the door, people pause, then run to their favorite characters.

'You can travel around the world'

Another of Bonivtch’s Disney favorites is the movie, "Toy Story."

“Toy Story is one of my all-time favorite movies,” she said, “One of my goals is to meet Woody and Buzz Lightyear.”

When she gets to work with the characters from that movie, she said “I’ll be more excited than the guests.”

Her two favorite parks are Hollywood Studios and Epcot.

“Hollywood Studios is based on Hollywood in the 1930s and 1940s. They put you right in the show with all the attractions," she said.

Since Bonivtch was in theater throughout high school, she said, “Seeing the stage shows and behind-the-scenes is amazing.”

“Epcot would be another favorite (park) because you can see all the different countries. And all the people who work there are from those countries,” she said. “You can be in Mexico and a couple of feet away is Norway. You can travel around the world.”

At Disney World, Bonivtch said everyone is a kid. “There is no age limit,” she said.

'It's great to provide that magic for the guests'

Bonivtch said she would love to work at Disney World in the future, as there are many opportunities there. She also hopes to intern again toward the end of her education.

She said she misses her family and friends and hopes they will make trips to see her. But being at Disney World almost feels like home.

“Having my cousin here with me and being in a place that I know like the back of my hand already makes it easier,” she said.

A few weeks ago, Bonivtch finished her training.

“It’s only just begun for me, so next week I’ll get the full experience,” she said.

Character attendants have a great deal of responsibility, but Bonivtch said it is worth it.

“It’s rewarding when you see the little girls run up and hug you," she said, "It’s great to provide that magic for the guests. That’s our goal.”

Reach Molly Phipps at 704-669-3339 or mphipps@shelbystar.com.

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